1 Malaysia has historically been the meeting place of vastly different cultures, religions, and people. People from all over the world have come to settle in Malaysia, each having brought something new to the country. Some, of course, took things away from Malaysia.2 Early Malaysian history begins with the migration of Chinese people onto the Malaysian peninsula about 10,000 years ago. For thousands of years, the people of Malaysia lived somewhat isolated from the rest of the world. In 1 AD, two unrelated events would dramatically change Malaysia and begin bringing people from all over the world to Malaysia's shores.3 At the time, India was getting gold and other metals from the Roman Empire and China. Around 1 AD, the Chinese Huns cut off the land route between India and China and the Roman emperor Vespasian ended shipments of gold to India. Desperate to resume the importation of gold and other metals, India sent huge ships with hundreds of men to Southeast Asia--including Malaysia--to find other sources. But when the Indians arrived on the Malay Peninsula, they didn't find gold--they found tin. While not as valuable as gold, tin provided plenty of wealth to the new Indian settlers.